04/11/2025
Let’s talk about the BMI -
Body Mass Index - which measures your body size and is calculated by your weight divided by height squared.
BMI doesn’t account for body composition so it might not be accurate for people who have high muscle mass.
Your waist measurement may be a better predictor of health risk as it indicates the amount of fat around your waist.
Not initially created as a a medical tool, it was created by a Belgian mathematician as a statistical tool to measure the population. Data was gathered using mainly white, European males.
Yesterday, I had a small procedure and during admission, my BMI was measured and I was advised I’m overweight. Now, I know I carry some excess fat - I have for most of my adult life. What the scale couldn’t, and didn’t, show was the density of my bones nor the amount of lean muscle mass I have.
I regularly strength train using heavy weights, so I know my muscle mass would be greater than most women my age.
I felt a moment of shame when the nurse told me my number and that I was in the overweight category, followed by annoyance. I know the anaesthetist needs to know my height & weight to accurately measure the anaesthetic he was going to administer but struggled to understand how my BMI was relevant.
I might be ‘overweight’ statistically speaking, but at 60yo, I teach cycle classes and regularly lift heavy.
All my numbers (cholesterol, blood sugars, blood pressure & heart rate, etc) are all great.
Just a reminder that a number (on the scales, BMI, etc) is not a measurement of your worth and also not always a correct or accurate measurement of your health status.
